Steam Commentors
 

As I recall the Steam was forced upon Oleg as was the name Cliffs of Dover, just before release from UbiSoft.

Ubisoft is the distributor and owns rights of distribution, except in Russia.

Good luck with your whines and complaints with UbiSoft.

It was too much trouble to separate the Russian version from UbiSoft requirements.

It was best action to go along with UbiSoft for best distribution of COD.

"You can't always get what you want"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toiM1B6E2ww

I'd like to add to this that I think Steam is a great service, it has some minor quirks but compared to everything else out there it is king, for many reasons.

Steam was not Ubisoft's idea, it was the Russian publisher 1C's, as was the name change.

Ubisoft is not the big "villain" that so many like to make them out to be, at least in this case.

I was already using steam before and didn't have a problem with it. Steam has great sales. I'm more worried about the state of CloD.

The IL2 crowd here hate change. That is why they hate steam. Its the mentality of "I got by without it before, why do I need It now." Their old and set in there ways. Now get off my lawn.;)

I'd agree with that.

I'm gonna go ahead and put one of them +1's right here -> +1

El Aurens, I won't disagree with you about it. I do recall there were issues with piracy in Russia that were serious and needed to be fixed somehow.

Regardless, the deed is done.

I remember Oleg did one of those piracy protection things with PE-2 and it bombed. He stopped that after the one experience.

Steam is a good way to distribute patches fast. Once you learn your way around Steam it's OK.

Most important, I remember just as many postings about issues people had setting up and installing IL2 and it was from CD. I think some people will have issues regardless of Steam or no Steam.

burn steam burn:cool:

I cannot disagree with any of this.

Or, as one forum luminary puts it... Agree 100%

:cool:

If the patch is out next years and you cant play/patch the game because of steam having trouble for more than one day, I will see your comment...

Very responsible thread especially from a moderator.

+1 same thought here, I' don't understand if this thread is referring to my previous post in which I asked for help with steam issues or I missed previous discussions; 'good luck with your whining and complaints about ubisoft' seems to belong to different subjects than a moderator,... how do u call it? trolls?.
On my count I wasn't whining about nothing...
this thread rains from a clear sky...we say
Cheers

Trust me, you won't get anywhere here when pointing out that a moderator acts like a donkey even if he acts like a donkey. Personal experience. All you'll get is a ban - even if they flame you in PM's. :D

That aside I must point out that Steam has pro's and con's.

- Patch distribution is all good. But what do you need it for when you get a patch once a year? (Beta's not included)
- Steam sales? Meaningless in this case as well. I haven't seen a single decent CloD sale on steam. It was sold for 15€ on the web...
- Also... steam is not good when it comes to preventing piracy. There isn't a single steam game which is uncracked.

I have like 4 Steam accounts and probably well over 400 games on them. But I still don't like the decision.


My personal take on it is: Steam is good, and only then, if you want to target younger folks (which isn't bad) AND definitely if you have an awesome online gameplay to offer so people can actually make use of the steam interface, useíng steam groups, friendlist, join friends games etc.

Since the game, campaign and multiplayer is pretty bland I'd say younger folks aren't in the scope. And the multiplayer component needs a bit more patching.



The biggest downside I see is with future expansions and the lack of the SDK. So much content for IL-2 1946 out there but CloD still lacks and I'm not sure if Steam as a platform will allow for this to change. But only time will tell.

[QUOTE=nearmiss;412068]As I recall the Steam was forced upon Oleg as was the name Cliffs of Dover, just before release from UbiSoft.

Ubisoft is the distributor and owns rights of distribution, except in Russia.

Good luck with your whines and complaints with UbiSoft.

It was too much trouble to separate the Russian version from UbiSoft requirements.

It was best action to go along with UbiSoft for best distribution of COD.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You can't always get what you want"

..."But you can get what you need" ;)


Septic.

It sounds ok as long as everything runs fine.

It sucks when it breaks and you can´t access any of the games you bought, like it happend yesterday for entire German Steam community for 24h.

If for some reason Valve goes broke or isn´t reachable anymore you can forget about all of your games.

I call that very risky.


The fact that steam makes great sales means nothing to your rights or security.

Save your login information on your Computer and the next time it happens, switch to offline mode. in all those years, offline mode almost always worked, only if steam went down during a platform update, only then was steam inaccesible.

That´s not necessarily true. You can definitely forget about VALVe games, that´s for sure. Egosoft for example confirmed, that if steam goes down, they would release a "No Steam Patch" for their upcoming game X-Rebirth. Other Developers might do the same.

I used to be a regular member of this forums and frequently posted.

Being a moderator has it's problems. Now as moderator it is best just to be the forums police is what I'm reading.

If moderators post there is always someone that wants to make a point with some sort of bashing against the mod. Some of it is probably pent up rage, which is sad.

Anyway, who needs it. So, back to the chastisement of the troops for me I guess.

THAT WAS NOT POSSIBLE YESTERDAY FOR ANYONE IN GERMANY THAT COULD NOT CONNECT.


If there is still any support for that very game, you are correct.

Sorry, just read through the 4p board, for some it worked, for most not. for whatever reason, steam ignored saved logininfos and tried to go online, making offline mode unusable. sorry for that. and pls, next time, don´t yell at me, my ears are still bleedin´ ;)

just wait till steam goes down and you cant play ANY of the games you legitimately purchased...

And if you bother to read the EULA/TOS of said game, you'd see that you haven't bought the game, you've bought the right to play the game, until and unless the distributor/producer of said game revokes that right. Which, of course, they can do at any given time, without notifying you about it.

Steam goes down from time to time. That's what software and servers do *shrug* If you don't like it: Stop buying Steam-games. If you continue to buy Steam-games, you have absolutely NOTHING to complain about. At all, period.

Steam doesn't help when you've installed the game on the wrong account... When I buy BoM I will install it on my actual account - but does that mean technically I no longer own CoD - and they cannot be merged? For the same obvious reason that I cannot merge my game with another I don't 'own' even though I bought both and are both installed on the same computer?
My fault I know - was too excited... I fear I may have to buy CoD again. :( :mad:

But I am hoping that when that time arrives that CoD will be worth about $20 or less, which I am more than happy to pay! :)

It also means though you bought a game you cannot sell it anymore.

I really despise that argument. I don't own the movie I bought on DVD or the music on the CD, but I'd love to see the "owner" tell me I can't watch or listen anymore. As a matter of fact, should they decide I can no longer play CoD, will a refund be forth coming? I highly doubt it. That money's has been/is being spent, I assume, on improving CoD and it's follow ons.

+1

Am I married? or is she a hooker? :-P

Steam® subscriber agreement

1. REGISTRATION AND ACTIVATION.

Steam is an online service ("Steam") offered by Valve Corporation ("Valve").

You become a subscriber of Steam ("Subscriber") by installing the Steam client software and completing the Steam registration. Additionally, as a Subscriber you may obtain access to certain services, software and content ("Subscriptions") available to Subscribers. Conclusion of this contract between Valve and you takes place as soon as you access the Steam service after accepting this Agreement.


~


c. No guarantees.

Valve does not guarantee continuous, error-free, virus-free or secure operation and access to steam, the software, your account and/or your subscriptions(s).

10. Exclusive remedies

a. Exclusive remedy -- steam and the software.

You acknowledge and agree that your sole and exclusive remedy for any dispute with valve with regard to steam or the software is to discontinue use of steam and cancel your account. Because some states or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or the limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, in such states or jurisdictions, valve, its licensors, and their affiliates liability shall be limited to the full extent permitted by law.

Steam will crumble adventually, just like AOL.. because really steam is just an AOL for games.. rubbish

Wow Valve has made sure to write down every possible loophole to ensure it can never be at fault. :mad:
So basically you want to play this game but it requires Steam to run. You don't want Steam, but you install it anyway. Then you decide that you hate Steam after using it - you want the activation code back, and they simply tell you all you can do is stop using the product and service. Because it's not "their" fault you are using 'their' service. WTF!

So if it is an online service that is "offered" to be accepted or not - you are either forced to use it or have a pointless disk on your shelf... WTF!

If I can't own my game in future; then I am just going to pirate a copy - because from what I have heard, the cracked version of CoD is Steam free - just water and ice. Therefore it means I am most likely to pirate a copy of BoM, especially since I have already payed $110 for some false advertising - imo I deserve a discount of 100% + Interest. Happy days ahead Luthier!

I should add; information should be free, or at least owned by those who payed for it. I'd expect that no game that has a disk should ever require an online activation - but rather one that is handled in store when you buy it - like any type of 'digital credit'.

Amen to that. I hope the Devs wake-up and stop STEAM at least for offline play.

Wow, the combined naivety in this thread is really telling. You think developers have a say when it comes to DRM, digital distribution or copyright systems? Yeah, thanks for the laugh. That's up to publishers and their ideas are going far beyond where Steam is right now. Publishers are the ones who artificially insert such systems in order to carve themselves a bigger and more comfy niche within the distribution process. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of beancounters in their upper echelons are having wet dreams of cloud computing, mandatory monthly fees and DLC at every corner to milk customers even more.

The only way to stop that would be not to purchase any of those products who are tied to such systems at all.

As long as the devs get more $$ for selling their product over Steam than over the counter, and let's face it once and for all: They do, you'll likely not see a change. In fact, you'll most likely see an increase in the use of Steam and such portals, since it's a both cheaper (no boxes to produce, no CD's to print up) and more lucrative than selling the product over the counter.

The primary reason as to why 1C uses Steam is because Flightsims are probably the epitome of a niche-product. We who love flightsims, and especially on this level, are a very small minority, and in order to make a profit in this market, you need every advantage you can get. And Steam, like it or not, is an advantage for the devs.

Until that changes, they'll use it.

And good luck with that, as those that see Steam as a good distribution-platform far outnumber those who don't.

True that. But then there are plenty of other publishers, and MG get's the final say about who distrubutes the game:

http://www.metacritic.com/feature/ga...-2010-releases

They should really make an effort and do some real decision making on their product and how it is handled. They shouldn't have just gone to UBI because they did the previous series. If it had to be so, give it another title - call it something else and disassociate it from Ubisoft entirely.

That's what I was hinting at. ;)

Good Lord! http://www.x-bikers.ru/editor/s/smiley-facepalm.gifOnce again, for all those with a high resistance-level to understanding.

1.) Maddox Games is a 100% subsidiary enterprise of 1C. Which makes all MG employees also employees of 1C.
2.) 1C handles the distribution stuff (that's what publishers do). 1C also provides finances and therefor calls the shots.
3.) The reason that Ubi is still in the same boat is because of ancient contracts signed years ago. Nobody went to them just before the release and asked them to join - they were already there.

Is it really that hard to understand the situation? Or is that another case of "I read what I want to read just to hold up my very personal conspiracy theories and to make myself look smart in some online board"? :roll:

I wasn't entirely clear, I said MG so as not to confuse when really they are employed by 1C - not that it matters.
And I certainly can't imagine that the contract they did sign said something along the lines of;
"Any flight simulator or flight based video game produced by 1C company and it's subsidaries must be distrubted through Ubisoft."
I was thinking that the contract may be "IL-2 Sturmovik" specific - not the genre in general, therefore changing the title may have been appropriate - but clearly I'm wrong.
Then again, who gives a flying (...). I'll just download a free copy and save myself the hassle of complaining later on about wasting my money. Try before you buy right?

well, whilst you ar downloading you free hacked version and bitching about "Steam" (meaning DRM, the need for online verification/ activation, inability to play completely offline, etc)... keep in mind that there is no-one else to blame for "Steam" than the hackers and pirates.

Not sure what you mean. Steam doesn't stop Piracy and wasn't designed to. ;)

read it again ;) ;)

Curious why my post has gone from this thread...

Well if I didn't understand first time round then it doesn't make sense. I'll have no reason to rage about Steam with a pirated copy. :)

without hacked/ pirated softwares, there would be no need to have a "Steam" to rage about in the first place, eh ;)

No, because like I said, it's a distribution system, not software protection. It's like saying the reason we have online shopping is because of theft...

the bit you missed ->




its not that hard ;)

You seem to be doing a pretty good job at complaining right now to be honest.

And I wish you lots of enjoyment with your "free" version which has had 0 patches and is still in the state CLOD was in on release.
Please keep us updated on how much you enjoy playing offline with the early release version and remember you have no reason to complain about how well your stolen software works.

lol

very weak argument!

Steam actually makes it easier for people to crack games and get them out even faster now. The future is not steam.. its a fad. As the future approaches the abillity for each publisher to distribute their games digital will get easier and easier and wont need a 3rd party to do that anymore. So each publisher will simply distribute the game their selves digitally like it should be

You may be right, but having used the EA online content distribution system for a few years I would rather have Steam. :)

Of course... its EA games.. expect crap

Definitely not true in my opinion. Steam helps nothing to prevent copyright infringements. The only reason Steam DRM protections exists, is to prevent people from selling their used games.

Of course Steam does a lot more than DRM.

Steam, Origin, Ubiplay - every DRM solution that performs online checks when only offline play is wanted is an inconvenient and unnecessary hassle in my book.

I was very much opposed to copyprotection systems like Starforce or TAGES. But these seem to be the much better alternative by now.

hmmm... well yours is certainly a weak argument




and self distribution is different to a > insert name here < distribution system?




Usually picked up on through the online activation.



Probably because it concerns the above point, eh...

Which point? You mean not being able to sell used games? Nope. I plan my purchases accordingly and buy games only if I'm sure I want to keep them or they are dirt cheap.

Not being able to play when the drm service is down/malfunctioning or my internet provider has problems. That is my main gripe.

*

Stop spouting the false Publisher party line, Wolf. DRM has nothing or very little to do with pirated software and much more (everything?) with publishers trying to devise new ways of milking customers and artificially inserting themselves into the distribution process. Money - that is the reason for this DRM nonsense. And not the crocodile's tears about piracy.

nice try there Thor.... big bad capitalists eh?

No, just goddarn liars with ties in suits. :-P ;)

Seriously. With the internet and the newly appearing direct-publishing methods the time of big publishers may actually be coming to an end. Not anytime soon but the potential is there. And with all the fluff and pointless hassle these corporations introduced over the years I am not one to be sad to see them going. They, however, can't think that way so they try to devise new ways of making themselves "irreplaceable". DRM, DLC and so-called "online services" (see EA, see Ubi) are their watchword even though I would hope that customers do see through the deception and vote with their wallets. That may be a lot of undeserved faith, but everyone entertains a foolish notion or two, don't we? ;)

yeah.. and the phone companies, and power companies, and supermarkets (groceries) and all, eh?

The time of Publishers isn't over, not even close. Yeah there are a few youngsters who sell indie "jewels" and make profit... but aside from a few exceptions what really happened is this:

A lot of TV and media companies bought gaming studios and started making games etc. This will have a huge impact because of the budget behind that process. A lot of advertising money, experience and the necessary access to media channels is also hidden here. That's what is a game changer and one of the reason why games are being dumbed down so much, so they're literally compatible with women, children and animals.
Also there's a few content platforms but none of them are really important as they only live through games and none of them is remotely strong enough to really influence the gaming market or prevent games from being successful.
That goes for indie AND regular games. For example minecraft and battlefield 3. None of them were on Steam but both largely successful.

I have a ton of games on Steam but I couldn't care less for the platform. There are still a ton of options for DRM, including streaming types of content delivery.

The age of publishers isn't over by far - since publishers are responsible for fostering games (sponsoring, making them happen) while content platforms only sell them.

It's like this:
Developer: chicken in a cage laying eggs.
Publisher: Farmer who owns the chicken, feeds them so they lay eggs.
Content platform: Super Markets who sell the eggs.


Saying that content platforms are going to kill publishers is the same as saying Supermarkets will now also produce the eggs and not just sell them.

Not an argument, but a comment.

My bad... yours was certainly a weak comment, then

is that better? :)

:)

never heard of weak or strong comment, but yes it´s better

In the UK Parliament writes the law and the courts decide what the law means. I care little for such agreements, at best they might provide evidence of intent, at worst they are merely the bread and butter of the solicitors who live off their existence. I care for the laws pertaining to the purchase.

So Ner! :-)

Septic.

IIRC signing an EULA is not legally binding in the UK and UK consumer rights etc still apply.

It is a bit up and down, the world over... the difference is (basicaly) did you accept the agreement BEFORE or AFTER purchasing? and with AFTER purchasing, did you return the software within the timeframe offered or keep it?

If this isthe kick Stream Post im all for that 'kick kick boot boot' die dog die!!

I've never had a issue, not one.
I wish all of my games were on Steam.

I have no use for steam and only run it when it is absolutely required to run for CloD. (which, frankly, isn't that often so it's not that big of a deal - lol)